North Carolina Newspapers

:. - ::::r:::::-- ,' , ,. ; ,,. ,,,,.. .. , .. , ,, , , , , r - ' " - J ' " ' (':.:'-' ' '- "'" '': -: ' ' ' v '- ' -':':y-'.- ' '" -r '' '-'"- .-'V;' r;; ' '- v ' .--"" V ' :- '..-'"'''-'' ' '.,' ' -',v'J. .:-".-'-.-.'; ' . '.7, .."-' . : 1 ' - j . ' ,.' '. j , J " j I Y if VOLUME X. LENOIR, N. C, WEDNESDAY; APRIL 8. 1885. if UMson no. I I , . ' .1 .,i ..... -1 ' -It ' ' I '.'!...': V ! "Wallace Bros STATESVILLE, N. C. WTiolesalE Dealers Geneiai Merchandise -tot- largest Warehouse and best facili- ties for han- , dling Dried Fruit. Ber- r V ries, etc.. in - the State. respectfully Wallace August 27th, 1884; J. H. SPAINHOUR, tradcata Btltiaort Dental College, Dentist. est io Impure Material for Filling Teeth. Work as Low as Good Work can be Done, fatimti from a distance may Void delay by informing Mm at what time they propose coming. P. LEE CLIN E, ATTORHIT - AT - LAW, mczomr, n.o. ,.U- lEirom, n. c. . 6 ' . ; CUllTOn CILLEYf Attornoy-At-LaT7, i Ittlllll uw The Russo-English Bocs of Contention. PMti tor Sun. - . , i The territory under dispute be-, tween Kussia Ju the one hand and Afghanishni ;ind Ensrlaiul. imi tlia other Ls the feriilo piuvince of liad ghis, which, being bounded on the south by the ruropamisus range of mountains, and embracing the coiin try between the Murghab and Heii liud rivers, extends northward to ward the Russian province of Turk estan. All the recognized official maps, whether English or Russian, have until recently agreed to define its northern boundary and at the same time the northern boundary of Afghanistan by a line running some what vaguely eastward from Sarakhs across the Turcoman desert to Khoja Baleh, on the Oxus. In the summer pf 1S83, when the Viceroy of India granted the Ameer Abdurrhaman an annual subsidy, the latter asked ior a map of his dominions. His request being granted, the Ameer found his northwest frontier extend ing, as he had anticipated, beyond Sari Yazi and Pendjeh on the Mur ghab. About a year ago he occupied the latter place, deeming its posses sion necessary in order to cover the road lead leading to Balkh and other portions of northern and northeast ern Afghanistan. His title to Tend- ; ieh is disputed by the Russians, both by reason of the recentness of this occupation, and by reason !of the fact that the whole Badehis dis trict is peopled in the main bv Tur comans and "belongs, therefore, : ethnological! vto Turkestan." It is urged on the other hand by the Ameer that military occupation j is not to be regarded as the only possi ble proof of title ; that Shere Ali, or his son, Yakoob Khan, certainly held Badghis from 1863 to 1879, and during that period, as well as at earlier times, the Sariks who inhabit Pendjeh paid tribute -to the Herat government. Of the latter fact the registers of the Herat administra tion bear ample testimony. Vara bery, who traversed this region in "jthe early days of Shere Ali's author ity, is explicit on the point of its being Afghan territory, and asserts, in fact, that it has been Afghan for over two centuries. The Russian foreign office in 1873 conceded that this region was outside the sphere of Russian influence, and the Rus sian ambassador at London in 1882 reiterated this statement. When, tin 1883, the British government committed itself irrevocably, by definite iassurances to the Ameer, to the-policy of maintaining the integ rity of. Afghanistan, the necessity of marking out, through the agency of an international boundary com mission, the limits of Afghan istan tt be protected became evident. When, twelve months ago, Russia seKed Merv, ignoring her repeat-d declaiatio'ns to' the British foreign office Ihat she had no' intention of appropriating the Tekke stronghold, this necessity of a delimitation of frontiers became more pressing. A further advance to Sarakhs being followed by vigorous protests, Russia declared her readiness to delimit the Afghan frontier "from the Oxus to Sarakhs." The English accepted the suggestion, and at once appoint ed Sir Peter Lumsdeu to proceed t BadghU to join with a Russian com missioner in marking out a boundary line, and he has been for some months on the ground awaiting the arrival of Gen. Zelenoy, the Russian commiisionerjwho; However, is still on his farm; hear Tiflis. Meanwhile the military forces of Russia ad vanced further southward, and have occupied Zulficar Pass, Ak-robat and PiiM-Khisti points sixty miles south of the line which the bounda ry commission was' appointed to Work upon. The contention of the Russians now is that theprovincc of Badghis houI4 he given tip to them as far as the Rabat Pass, within fifty miles of Herat, in the west, and in the east as far as to within a few miles of Bala Murghab. . Their in tention of occupying Herat on the first opportunity is thought by the English to bo evident from a mere recital of these historical facts. The British demand is, therefore, that "the Russians retire from the posi tions whieh they should never have entered' The English government, it is urged, "can never concur in the seizure of districts ?itally nee pessary to the preservation of the Ameer's authority in his kingdom, inasmuch as to do so would be to weaken its Afghan allies, and cause them to be joined ultimately with Russia in any attack made on India. - " i m tm - - f ' The Recent Appointments. . ' The" Louisville, Courier-Journal heartily indorses the appointments so far made by President Cleveland; and adds : "If the next Congress will ' devote itself as faithfully to fulfilling the promises made at Chicago concerning the legislative branch as.Mr. Cleveland has striven to redeem the pledges made for the executive departments, 'there will be no doubt of a long-continued demo cratic ascendency. Congress has to Ico-operate with the heads of the de partments in reducing expenses and !n introducing fetter methods of bnsihess; but ft ha. also r to see that taxation is reduced .so that - the Sunt taken from the PPlall. not exceed fho requirements of attj economical government so administered." Appointments by .the President. Nvwii mi J (il)n. rv-r. ASuiGTOJif, I). C.,.March 30. 1 he President seiit the followin nominations to the Senate tod To be consulsgeneral of the United States, Thomas M. Waller, of Con necticut, at London ; Frederick Raine, of Maryland, at Berlin. To be ministers resident of the United State ; Isaac Bell, Jr.. of Rhoio Is-. land, to the Netherlands : Rufus McGee, of Indiana, to Sweden and Norway. To be ministers resident and consuls general of the United States, Edward Parke Custis Lewis, of New Jersey, to Portugal ; Ras mus B. Anderson, of Wisconsin, to Denmark. T o be consul of the United States 4- at Hailer Cross, of Athens, (iroeee ; Pennsylvania, Evan P. Howell, of Georgia, at Manchester, England ; to be. envoys extraordinary and ministers pleni potentiary of the United States, Th os.- J. Jarvjs, of North Carolina, to Brazil ; Alexander R. Law ton, of Georgia, to Russia ; Anthony M. Keiley, of Virginia, to Italy ; to bo minister resident of the United States, Geo. W. Merrill, of Nevada, to Hawaiian Islands : to be consul - general of the United States, Ed of Illinois, at Vienna, mund Jussen, Austria Brown. Shiplev &ACo., of London,. England, to be special fis cal agents of jthe navy department; to he collector of internal revenue, Nathan Gregg, of Tennessee, for the second district of Tennessee ; Alexander MqCue, of New' York, to be solicitor of the treasury ; David Settle, of North Carolina, to be marshal of the United States for the western djstrict of North Caro lina ; Joseph JE. Johnston, of Vir ginia, to be Commissioner of rail roads ; Lucius Mullen, of New York, to be appraiser in the district of New York State of New York ; Clement Dowd, of North Carolina, to be collector of -internal revenue for the sixteT district of North Car olina ; Capt. Win. J. Yolk mar. of the Fifth Cavalry, to be major and assistant adjutant general ; Cnpt. Geo. II. Burton, of the Twenty-first Infantry, to be major and- inspector general. Washington, March 31. The President today sent the following , nominations to the Senate ; To be envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary of the United States William R. Roberts, of New York, to Chili ; Charles W. Buck, of Ken tucky, Peru ; Charles T. Russell, of Connecticut, to be consul at Liver pool, England ; Henry G. Pearson, to be postmaster at New Y'-rk. X. Y.; Gorman J. Colman, of Mi . :-or.-ri, to be commissioner of agricult ure.; John T. McGraw. of W'vM Virginia, to be collector of internal revenue for the district of West Virginia ; Henry P. K'i n.ich;;n. of Louisiana, to be naval officer at New Orleans ; Andrew J. Boyd, of North Carolina, to be collector of Internal revenue for jthe fifth district of North Carolina. Richard B. Hubbard, of Texas, to be envo.' extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of 'the United States s to Japan. j Wm. W. iJong, of Tk .-. to be the consul at Hamburg, Germany. Wasiiinoton, March 31.- A gen tleman verv near the President, anf undoubtedly speaking from actual knowledge, reports that the reap pointment of Mr. Peaison was made after "-the most p;itjp.nt examination of all the facts in: connection with the charges against him and his anT swer to the same, which was yester day snbrnittecl and read by the President, The appointment, there fore, may be considered a complete vindication of ! the postmaster. It is further stated that the reappoint ment of Mr.i Pearson will constitute a notable exception to the course which the President may bp expect ed to pursue! The New York post ollice js the largest and most impor tant in th cuntfy and of iuterest to all people and espeoialiy to the : vast business enterprise centered in the metropolis. It is today considered a complete illustration of the suc cessful application of civil service 'reform principles to an immense governmental establishment. "This ? condition," add&d tJ)P gentleman above referred to, "has been brought about very largely bylhe intelligent effort of Mr. Pearson, and he is thus identified in the closest manner with this example of the success of re form. To retain him insures faith umd confidence in the movement wjrrch wuld .receive a shock from his removal. His retention was earnestly requested by a large num ber of business men of the city, both Democrats and Republicans, and very generally by Independent Republicans, who did such good service in support of the Democratic candidates in the late campaign." . It is further authoritatively learn-, ed that this act of the President must not be regarded as indicating that in other oases those opposed to the party of the President will nei ther be appointed or retained after i expiration of ; their terms of office. The new j minister t6 Brazil, Thomas Jordan Jarvis, was born in Currituck county, North Carolina, 'January 18th, 1836. In his youth he suffered the disadvantages of poverty, and followed the plough until his 18th year, when he entered Randolph Maooa college, where he paid for tuition with money earned by teaching in vacation. Graduat ing in 18G0, he continued teaching school until the war opened, - when he entered the irmy is a private. 11a attained the rank of captain, and lost the use of his rigat'unu by a wound received at Drnry's - Bluff. In 1805 he was elected to the con vention called by President Andrew Johnson. In I860 he obtained his license and began to practice law. He was one of the few Democrats elected to the legislature of ISOS-GO, where he developed great skill as a parliamentarian, in consequence of which he was chosen speaker of the house in 187()-'71. In 1872 he was Democratic-elector for the State at large. In 187( he was elected Lieut. Governor, and succeeded Gov4. Vance as Governor Februarv 5th, 1879.- In 18S0 he was elected Governor by the people, his six years' service expir ing February 21st, 1885. . ' His record as Governor is well known. Gov. Jarvis did not seek the position of minister to j Brazil, and his nomination by the President is a surprise to him. ! lion. Clement Dowd, who suc ceeds Col. Cooper as collector of the Oth internal revenue district is a native of Moore county, where he was born in 1832, graduated at the University in 1856, after the War removed to Charlotte, where he en gaged in the practice of the law, and was' president of the Farmers' & Mechanics' National Bank and later of 'the Commercial National at Charlotte. He was elected to Con gress in 1880 and again in 1882. Mr. Dowd is a first-class business man, and he will administer his office strictly on business principles. The marshal of t lie western dis trict is Col. David Settle, a son of the late .Judge Settle, brother of Hon. Thomas Settle, now judge of the Federal court in 1 Florida, and one of most active and juncom promising Democrats in the State. Marshal Settle is a man of fine in telligence, high character, undoubt ed spirit and sterling worth. The office of marshal in the western dis trict will be administered by him strictly according to law. Thd French Troubles in Tcnquin. When two years ago the jFrench undertook to dispossess the Emper or of Annam of his dominions and to create for themselves an j eastern empire comparable to that of the English in India, it was supposed at Paris that little difficulty1 Would be encountered. It was to be a holiday undertaking, and if mention was made of the relation of Annam and i'.s dependency. ' Tnn!n.' to the Chinese' empire, the ';'; minder wias !co!!ted by-ihe Paris p e- as u eit .. tion frolu an -ient history. China's rights of sovereignty over ! Annam were declared to. have Fapsed. but if the worst came to tile voriUj China w s no match for France ajl . nu'st spet'djlv acijuieai-f jit whatever ar rangcnieni the latter country chose to'tnakc jjpfbi the -'unfortunate Em-' peror TvT)ue. AH went wpll at fir?t. Hue, the capital oi the "em pire, Ha-Noi, the capital of the province of Tonquin. were promptly occupied, and before the Hose of the year 18811 Snntay, il the head of the Song-koi delta, .had been captured, liesistanoe was p,ov suppuse to .be lit an end. But it turned out thftt the Black and Yollow Hags' were being secretly supported by China, and after the principal points in the conquered country had been garri soned jt was found that a long and tedious diplomatic contest remaised to bo carried on with the Marquis Tseng. At length, however, in the treaty of Tienstin, China agreed to evacuate Tqnrjuin by a given date, and again resistance seomed to he at an end, when the Lang-sop incident occurred, Lang-son, which is situ ated near the" Chinese frontier, oo cupies a position on the only prac ticable road between Ha-noi and China, and is a post of some im portance. The French officer de puted to take pQ?s03sjpn uf jt, wag acking in prudence and provoked a iffht with its Chinese garrison, in which a number of French soldiers were killed. The Ferry government straightway demanded a . large in demnity, - which the Chinese have untiLlnow refused, despite the "pun isljnint" sought to be administered to them by Adwiwl Pfturbet p,n the river Nim and in Formosa, and by Gens, Briere de 1' Isle and Negrier Tonquin. In the latter' country there haseen incessant fighting for months past, until tl)9 Chinese, em boldened by their successes, on Fri day last attacked Lang-son, drove the French ( from their intrench mpnts and pursued them . toward Bang-Dong, inflicting a lossi statpd by the French at'LO in kiljed and wounded. This disaster' has, been followed promptly at Paris by the downfall of the Ferry' ministry, and in view of the excited condition of the public mind may lead possibly to other even more serious results, This much, however, geems to be assured, that war is now to be for mally declared and a large army is to be sent to capture Pekjnj Thug step by step what "was regarded at the outset as an ; easy undertaking has grown to very large and enor mously expensive it proportions." Whether President Grevy can find a successor for ; Premier ; Ferry, who will be able to hold office as many months as Ferry did years, "remains to be seen. j THE CAPTURE OF iEW 08LEAHS. From the Century war papers we quote the following from the paper by George W. Cable, on "Ne;.- Or leans bjfuie the Capture," in the April number . "What a gather ing ! The riff-raff of the wharves, the town, the gutters. Such womn such wrecks of Women ! And all the juvenile rag-tag. The lower steamboat landing, well covered with sugar, rice, and molasses,-was being rifled. The men smashed ; the wo men scooped up thesmashings. The river was overflowing the top of the levee. Arain-storm began to threat en. 'Are the Yankee ships in sight?' I asked an idler. He pointed out. the tops of their naked masts as they showed up across the huge bend of the river. They were engaging the batteries at Camp Chalrnette the old field of Jackson s ronown. Presently that was over. Ah, me! I see them' now as they come slowly round Slaughterhouse Poiut into full view, silent, so grim, and terrible ; black with men, heav y with deadly portent ; the long banished Stars and Stripes flying against the frowning sky. Oh, for the Mississippi ! the Mississippi ! Just then here she came down upon them. But-how ! Drifting help lessly, a mass of flames. , "The crowds on "the levee howled and screamed with rage. . The swarming decks answered never a word ; but one old tar on the Hart ford, standing with lanyard in hand beside a great; pivot-gun, so plain to (View that you could see him smile, silently patted its big black breech and blandly grinned. . . i "And now the rain came down in sheets. About one or two o'clock in the afternoon (as I remember), I be ing again in the store with but one door ajar, came a roar of shoutings and imprecations and crowding feet down Common street. 'Hurrah for Jeff Davis ) Hurrah for Jeff Davis! Shoot them ! Kill them ! Hang them!' I-locked the door on the outside, and ran to the front of the mob, bawling with the rest, 'Hur rah for Jeff Davis !' About 'every third man there had a weapon out. Two officers of the United States Navy were walking abreast, un guarded and alone, looking not to right or left, never frowning, never .flinching, while the mob screamed in their ears, shook cocked pistols in their faces, cursed and crowded and gnashed upon them. So through the gates of death those men walked to the City Hall to i demand the town's surrender. It was one of the bravest deeds I ever saw done. ; "Liter events, except one; I leave to other pens. An officer from the fleet stood on the City Hall roof about to lower the flag of Louisiana. It the street beneath gleamed the bayonets of a body of marines. A howitizer pointed up and another down ilie street, AH around swarm ed the mob. Just then Mayor Mon roe lest the officer above should be fired upon and the howitzers open . upon the crowd came out alone 'and stood just before one of the howitzers, tall, slender, with folded arms, eying the gunner, Down sank the flftg. Captain Bell, tall and etjff, marched off with the flag rolled under his arm, and the how itzers clanking behind, Then cheer ftf tw ttheer- rang out for Monroe. And now, I dare say, every one is well pleased that, after all, New Oileans never lowered her colors with, her own hands." ADVANTAGES OF THE JERSEY. . - i Kb'tard Goodman In the Kural New-Yarker. Let the Jerseys increase, because : 1. Jerseys make more butter an nually o'ampaved with the food they eat, than any other breed. 2. Jerseys make better butter than' any other breed better grain and better flavor. , ' 3. Jersey milk is the most profit able, because it contains more but ter per quart than that of any other forped, j jts crpani rises quicker and its butter comes quicker, 4. Jersey butter briugs from 3 to 10 cents more per pound than any . other, as a rule throughout the United States ; hence on 90 farms out of 100 where butter is a special ty, the introduction of Jersey blood will change butter-making from a dea4 to TP net pr-o.fi t. 5. Butter farming is more profita ble and healthful and refining than truck-farming, beef-farming, poul try or pig-farming. 6. For every cent lost on account of thp Jersey's spaaller carcass, there are two cents gained on account of her better butter and her larger an nual yield. .- We want Holsteins and Ayrshires for the general milk and cheese sup ply ; we want Short-horns and Hert fords for their beef; but the country wants the; Jersey for her butter so let us have, an end. to the opposition which this breed has met with for 40 years. He- who specializes wins. The "general-purpose cow" is an impossible animal. Let each farmer decide whether all circumstances point to a beef, a milk or a butter Breed, and .choose his stock accord ingly. v' ;: . ; . ; Ex-Gov. Smith, of Georgia, slaughtered a lot of hogs lately of his. own : raising, aggregating in weight 32,000 pounds. Besides Mr. Smith killed 10,000 pounds of fat beeves raised, by him. THE NEW YORK POSTUASTERSHIP. Baltimore Snn. The term of office of Mr. Pearson, j postmaster of New York, has expir-; ed, and his reappointment appears! to be urged by a large and aggressive 1 class of political debates. His re appointment is made, in fact, a test of the President's policy with regard to officials whose personal and offi cial career presents no special ground of criticism. Shall tenure of office be made permanent in the service of the United States, at least during goodhehavior and efficiency, or shall the usage of many years past be con tinued 'i The term! is fixed by law at four years, which circumstance in itself implies that the framersof the statute did not contemplate perma nence or tenure. The office of post master of New York, being next in importance and influence, perhaps, to that of the Postmaster-General, it may be held to be to some extent a political office. So far as the new administration may desire to intro duce in that office a new . policy of management based on democratic ideas, that far it Would find it ex pedient to exchange Mr. Pearson for another person more in sympathy with its purposes. If, however, it be absolutely true that the New York postoffice, with its multitude of employes, most of whom are of one political party, has not in recent years sought to exert an influence in national, State or municipal elec tions, but on the contrary has been a purely business organization, then most people will consider it desira ble to continue that remarkable state of things, and, if Mr. Pearson is essential I to its continuance, will desire to retain so valuable an officer. It may be disputed that these sup positions correspond with the facts. The contention that his retention must be decided upon, so as to make a striking display of the President's adoption of a policy of permanent tenure, proceeds of course upon the assumption that as at present organ ized and managed, there is nothing in the New York office inimical to the predominance of democratic doctrine in the conduct of national affairs, i Otherwise that contention cannot be said to have much force. If "politics" has had anything to do with the action of? that office or the organized action of its employes in ! recent elections, it will of course be impossible to keep the question of Mr. Pearson's reappointment upon the high ground it might otherwise occupy. A change is certainly jus tifiable if a change be neccessary in order to correct undue political bias. Assuuiiug, however, as may be done, that the personnel of the office is all it should be, and that its per fection is due to Mr. Pearson's qual ities,1 it is still 'an open question whether it is in this case incumbent on the President to inaugurate a new departure in the direction of permanency of official tenure not re quired by the civil-service law, but negatived, indeed, both by the stat ute affecting such offices as that of, Mr. Pearson's and by the usage of over half a century. Democrats will probably deprecate such a new de parture in this particular instance, on the ground that it is possible to find in the President's own party, or among the independent republi cans i who aided in electing him, plenty of men quite as capable as the present incumbent of the New York poBtmastership, whose vote was cast for Mr. Blaine, and that the proper occasion on which fn exemplify the new doctrine of permauency of ten ure during good behavior and effi ciency will present itself when the term of office of gome excellent dem ooratlo or independent republican official shall have expired. Light-House Burosd. News and Observer, : On Saturday, the 21st inst., the light-house, located at the mouth of Roanoke river, was destroyed by fire, -together with everything belonging, to it; The fire was caused, it is thought, by a spark from a stove which ignited the woodwork between the. ceiling and roof. The building wad burned to the water in about thirty minute, the light-house X eople .barely escaping with their ives. Capt. Clifton, the keeper. was blistered about the face in try ing to save some of the property. The Roanoke light-house was built about W at a cost of $25,000. : The lantern was manufactured in Paris, France, and cost about $1,400. In clear weather its light could be seen distinctly by navigators on the ; Albemarle a distance of eighteen miles. Until the light-house is ' re built by the government we hear a ; vessel will be stationed there, to give notioe by a light from its mast head off the entrance to Roanoke. I lfiuiiWaFlsi Mr. Rufus Fitzgerald, of Caswell county, N. C, died recently. A" few days ago his brother was exam ining his papers, and on opening a small drawer in his secretary, found $4,600 in money, of the existence of which no member of the family had any knowledge before. There were $3,200 in twenty dollar gold pieces, and some of the pieces had been there so long that they had begun to rust1 Southern Items If Call. -Already the colored people of acksonville. Fla.. are quoting Gen- Grant as a warning against the use of tobacco. They are about to in augurate an anti-tobacco society. i Since the 1st of January thtre have been 159 additions to the Fifth Street Methodist Church in Wil mington, N. C. The revival meet ing is still going on. j Calvin Bright, who died in Spar tanburg county, S. C, the other day, was a lunatic, and had been confined by his family in a small cabin since 1858. M The orange groves on the Halifax river, Fla., are late in! coming into full bloom, but that fact is said to presage a full crop. j The Langley Cotton Factory Co. , of Augusta, Ga., has a surplus fund of $150,000, and is doing a pushing business. : j ..'- ' j ' I" Egg shipments are now being made from Chattanooga, Tenn., to New York at the rate. of over 14,000 dozen per week. j ! The South Carolina Congressmen have indorsed Hon. John E. Bacon,, of that State, for a foreign mission. The evident spirit of improvement at Athens, Ga., t present is a sub ject of congratulation. The real estate men of Atlanta re gard the outlook for the coming sea son as very encouraging, j I It is beginning to be learned in Atlanta that meningitis has become epidemic in that city. j . About thirty acres of LeConte pears have been set out in the vicin- , ity of Perry, Ga. j K J The Methodist preachers in At lanta, Ga., have joined j the crusade against dancing. ,. ' ! Grading is progressing rapidly on the Florida Southern Railroad. ; ! There is a general complaint of"' the over-production of peanuts. Richmond's new union depot, ground and all, jill cost $103,000. The wheat crop" in Georgia pre sents a promising appearance. ' t The mica mines near Clinton, Ala., are in full operation. ; "'. Prohibition has gone! into effect at Greensboro, Ala. 1 A Period of Disquiet. 1 Believers in peaceful methods 'of settling international j differences derive little comfort from the belli cose aspect of affairs at present in many parts of the world.' Gen. Gra ham is carrying on a bloody struggle with' Osman Digna in Egypt ; Bar lios is marching an army of 15,000 into Salvador the French are attack ing the Chinese by sea and land in South Africa Sir Charles Warren is chasing the Boers. out of Bechuana land. and in both England and India extensive preparations are being made for war with Russia.. There is a temporary suspension of hostili ties along the Nile, so far as the force under Gen. Wolseley's imme diate command is concerned, and the French are at present not doing much in Madagascar, but no one believes that the operations will not be renewed .with vigor in both quar- ters as soon as the weather permits. The period of universal peace seems still as remote among nations as among politicians. I ULZioD, Wilkes County, i. ; 1 ! - March 25, 1885. To the FfhiTOB of Tiib TopifcC: I have recently taken a pleasure trip among friends whom J had not vis- ited before in about fifteen years, and during this period, a great many changes have taken place. In pass ing those places once so familiar to me, what reminiscences of the past come crowding into my j mind? What changes have taken; place dur ing that brief period ! At many of the residences which I pass, happy families then resided ; tut where are they now ? Scattered in differ ent directions. Some married and , rearing families of their own, some perhaps, gone to the far West, while others are gone to that bourne from which there is no return. On arriving at Elkville, in place of the man who wa3 merchandising at that pi ce fifteen years ago, I find Mr. J. E. Kerlee who seems to be quite a kind and obliging gentleman and he attends to the postoffice at that place so promptly, that we have never failed to receive The Topic ".. on time since he "has been post mas ter. Went to old Beaver Creek and had the . pleasure of meeting many friends of my early youth and form ing the acquaintance of a number of young persons with whom I had never before had the pleasure of J meeting. The place looks quiie fa miliar, yet many changes have taken place, since my lchool-boy days at the old academy many of my schcol-mates and friends hare passed away; hut their blaces are now filled by the young and rising generation, who bid fair to' become bright and shining lights in society. Lon cay ' they live and prosper. ; Ckez. tx U Tho Courts.